Chapter 8
It's Flaring Up Part 1
"Hey... Let go of me, will you? Being hugged constantly is suffocating."
She looked up at me, only to bury her face back again. "No!!"
Instead of letting me go, she tightened her grip even more. No matter how hard I tried to break free, I just couldn't overpower this sulky ghost.
Since she'd found out what happened, she'd been holding onto me for hours.
"Let go already, aren't you tired? Because I am..."
"No!"
At this point, the only things I could move were my arms and head. This was starting to feel like sleep paralysis...
"Your face... it doesn't look so good."
"Huh? My face still looks bad?" I quickly grabbed my phone to check my reflection. If even a ghost was telling me I looked awful, it had to be serious.
I stared at the mirror. My face was completely pale, even my lips had turned white. It was worse than when I had a nosebleed. On top of that, the sharp pain in my chest kept coming back, making me feel uneasy.
But the thing that made me frown the most...
"Hey! Don't put your hand under my shirt, you perverted ghost!" I pushed her away as soon as I got the chance. "What are you trying to do?!"
"Your chest is so soft... it's fun," she said, hugging me again, this time slipping her hand back in with zero shame.
'Thwack!'
She clutched her head and rolled around on the bed like she'd just been hit. "Ouch... don't hit my head like that!"
"You're such a creep! You don't even know what you're playing at!"
"Come on... I was just teasing a little. But I had a reason, you know."
"Let me guess, because you're a perverted ghost?"
"No! That's not it! I can still sense something bad on you. It's right near your chest. Ugh, something feels off!" She scrunched her nose at me, which made me pinch her waist out of spite.
"Ouch!"
I didn't know if what she was saying was just an excuse, but it could be true... since the pain was still there, stabbing at my chest on and off.
"I scrubbed with soap for hours. How can there still be a smell?" I sniffed myself, trying to catch any whiff of the bad aura she mentioned, but all I smelled was the soap I'd just used.
Whatever it was, I didn't want any trace of it lingering on me—not even a fragment of the memory.
"It's not a physical smell like before. It's a bad vibe, like there's an aura radiating from you..." As soon as she said that, she gently pushed me down and lifted my shirt slowly. Her fingers traced from my stomach upward, stopping over my left chest.
"Ah... W-What are you doing?" Her touch stirred something inside me, causing me to let out an embarrassing noise, and I dared not look at her now-serious face.
Her fingers rested right over my heart. "It feels like it's around here... I've got it! Right here!"
"Ugh!"
The moment her fingers pressed down, I felt a sharp pain that made me yelp. It was a completely different sensation from when I touched the area myself—it hurt, but only when she did it.
That... was the same spot. The exact same spot where I'd felt the pressure earlier this morning. Just thinking about it made me feel nauseous and filled me with an overwhelming dread. It was worse than staring at a grotesque ghost. I'd rather look at those things for hours than feel like this.
"There's a mark here..." She suddenly tugged my shirt up without warning, pulling it as hard as she could. I quickly grabbed it back, blushing in embarrassment.
"Don't pull it down! I'm checking for you!" she grumbled, yanking my shirt up again.
"..."
What she said left me speechless. I never imagined something related to it had been hidden inside me for years.
"Can you get it out? A ghost like you should know how."
"I can help, but it's been with you too long. Getting rid of it all at once is beyond my ability. And if you really want to get rid of it..." Her voice trailed off, and she went silent, making me frown.
"Why? Just finish your sentence already. What's with the suspense?"
Her face looked a little flustered, and I just stared at her, waiting for an answer.
"Are you okay? What is it..." I shook her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. She gave me a small smile.
"It's nothing... It's just that I can't actually break the curse. I don't have that kind of power. Honestly, I'm still a beginner at this stuff..."
"So, there's no hope then? Great..."
"Not exactly. What I can do is place a new curse on top of the old one."
"Huh? How is that any different? It doesn't sound like it's solving anything at all."
"Think about it. Would you rather keep living with that curse, or would you rather deal with one of my curses instead?" She shrugged, teasing me with that smug grin of hers.
To me, neither option sounded appealing, but nothing could be worse than having that curse still clinging to me...
Once I made up my mind, I sighed softly. "So what do I have to do...?"
"Just a kiss..."
I immediately furrowed my brows upon hearing her answer.
"Don't joke around,I'm being serious."
The ghost didn't reply, only maintaining her serious expression. Her adorably serious face prompted me to ask again.
"Are you really serious...?"
She nodded with that serious look, though I couldn't help but notice the slightest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Why does it have to be a kiss? Isn't there another way?"
"There are other ways, sure. But if you want the most effective result in the shortest time, this is it. The key is for our spirits to connect. The more physical contact I have with you, the easier it is to cast the curse. We could hold hands, of course, but I can't guarantee it'll work as well."
I tried to wrap my head around what she was saying, even if it was confusing. It meant that the more I connected, the more effective the curse would be, right? But having to kiss a ghost still felt... weird.
Wait a minute...
"Is that why you've been trying to grope me this whole time?"
"Nope! That was just my personal desire. I mean, your chest is really soft, you know?"
Her serious expression confirmed that her blunt answer was the truth. It made her look shameless enough to make me bury my face in my hands. This was too unbelievable to accept right away, no matter how many incredible things I'd already encountered.
I wanted to explore other healing options first.
I just didn't understand what it wanted.
To cast a curse on me?
Why not just kill me right from the start? Why let me suffer like this for so long?
"Forget it. No need to fix anything." I pulled my shirt down and turned my back to her.
"Come on, it's just a kiss..."
"...Ugh!" I tried to stifle the sharp pain shooting through me. It was getting worse, to the point where I gritted my teeth and clenched the blanket into a crumpled mess.
"Trust me, I don't want to see you stuck as a ghost buddy. Think of it as kissing a dog or a cat, okay?"
"It's just a small thing. I can handle it..."
"Why are you being so stubborn? Fine... if you can endure it, then go ahead."
It was rare for me to hear her sigh like that. It was probably because of my stubbornness. But even though she was tired of me not listening, she still lay beside me.
"..."
I knew she meant well, but I... I was pretty worried about this whole thing. I had no idea what would happen if I kissed her. What if her curse had some serious consequences for me?
I couldn't figure it out... I should just try to sleep. At least tomorrow, I could see a doctor.
Losing blood was really wearing me down...
'Chirp, chirp.' The sound of sparrows taking turns chirping to welcome the dawn wakes me up.
This morning was supposed to be bright and cheerful, but instead, it was filled with torment. My chest ached more than it had the night before, but that didn't mean I couldn't handle it. All I could think of now was dragging myself to the doctor, hoping to find a medical explanation.
Although I already knew that the doctor might not be able to help...
As soon as I opened my eyes, I heard a cheerful greeting from the brown-haired ghost sitting beside me, engrossed in a book.
"Good morning, darling!"
"...Nonsense. Who's your darling?"
"Your face looks worse than last night."
"Yeah... I really do feel worse than yesterday."
One of her hands left the book, and she touched her lips with her finger while winking at me.
"Let's kiss."
"NO."
"…Suit yourself." She shrugged playfully after my refusal and went back to reading.
What are you reading, a philosophy book?
Such a nerdy ghost...
"..." I watched her read for a moment before getting up to take a shower.
I needed to see the doctor before my condition worsened...
The brown-haired ghost set her book down on her lap and turned to me as I grabbed the towel hanging nearby. "Hey, I made breakfast for you. Eat it before you faint on the way!"
"...Are you my wife or something?"
As soon as I said that, her ears perked up. She placed the book down on the bed and moved closer to me, her eyes sparkling like stars.
"Can I be?!"
"I'm just being sarcastic."
"Aww..." She pouted and settled back onto the bed like before.
I roll my eyes at her and start heading out of the room. "Ugh!"
Great... Even standing still hurts. This is the worst.
She looks at me with concern but doesn't come closer, knowing I don't want to follow her advice. "...You've got this, darling. I'll just wait and see how long you can keep being stubborn."
"Pff, whatever." I brush off her comment, but a soft giggle follows me out of the room.
Normally, when she cooks, the portion is just enough for me. But today, it's full of vegetables and fruits—enough to last me two days. Maybe she's worrying too much...
Weird. A wandering ghost caring this much about me?
Sigh... Every day, my life drifts further away from 'normal'
"..." I stare at the breakfast spread for a moment.
Guess I'll shower after eating…
As I shovel food into my mouth and lazily watch TV, the news announces a severe car accident where both parties died.
Car crashes happen nearly every day in this country. It's so common that it's almost unusual if there's no crash in the news.
But I don't like accident news, so I change the channel.
...Wait a minute, I have to present today!? If I don't go like this, they'll probably hate me.
[Kan9]
Aranya: Sorry, Kan, but I can't make it to the presentation. Can you handle it for me? [08:13]
Kan9: No worries! Everyone in the group understands. With you feeling this bad, it's totally fine! 😂 [08:15]
Kan9: Just get plenty of rest, okay? [08:15]
Aranya: Yeah, thanks a lot! [08:20]
sigh... I'm glad they understand. That's one less problem to worry about. Good thing I already sent all the files to Kan. Besides, the main presenter wasn't me anyway